One thousand residents urged to evacuate as central west braces for flood peak – as it happened

Pregnant woman and midwife among 10 rescues in NSW town of Forbes. This blog is now closed

• Flood waters continue to rise in NSW town of Forbes with peak expected Saturday night
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Victorian Labor lead narrows in polls in lead-up to state election

The Victorian election race appears to be tightening three weeks out from polling day, with Labor in danger of slipping in to minority government, AAP reports.

The AMA analysed the documentation these media reports relied on and, like the department, found nothing - not a skerrick of evidence - to support the claims made in headlines splashed across some news organisations.

The AMA has acknowledged consistently that while some fraud does occur, the vast majority of doctors are doing the right thing. And we have seen the mental toll these reports have taken on Australia's doctors.

The minister has again highlighted the impact of years of cuts and neglect of Medicare, and, while this latest review may identify potential savings that could be made, what Medicare really needs is genuine reform and an injection of new funds.